The history of culture of Kievan Rus covers several centuries. The Eastern Slavs were in a political union for a little less than three hundred years. However, it was during this period that their spiritual community was formed. This community today has a significant impact on the East Slavic peoples, standing apart from other Slavs and traditionally considered very close to each other. The culture of the medieval Kiev state has come down to us in tangible and intangible evidence of the 9th-16th centuries: archaeological artifacts, priceless frescoes and icons of monasteries, architectural forms themselves, the most important written sources, folk tales that shed light on the spiritual landmarks of medieval Slavs, and so on. When they talk about Old Russian civilization, they usually mean a period that lasted from the beginning of statehood proper in the 9th century to the final strengthening of the Moscow kingdom in the 16th century.
Culture of Kievan Rus: a brief about literature
Writing in itself is an excellent category from culture. However, she is connected with her very closely. After all, it is through scientific, religious, diplomatic and political-legal texts that culture manifests itself. The emergence of writing among the Eastern Slavs is primarily associated with the activities of Greek Orthodox missionaries, Cyril and Methodius. And it is precisely with the penetration of Christianity that the intensive development of the culture of Kievan Rus is associated. The Slavs were given the opportunity no longer sporadically (of course, there were some educated people here before that), but to join the books widely and the most progressive civilization at that time, of which Christian Byzantium was.
It is not surprising that the most important written cultural monuments of Ancient Rus were created in the Glagolitic alphabet: this is Izbornik Svyatoslav, the Gospel of Ostromir, the Monomakh Teaching for Children , the Russian Truth of Yaroslav, and many other important documents of that time. Artistic and historical legends occupy a very important place in literature: The Tale of Bygone Years, The Word of Igor's Campaign, The Tale of Batu Ryazan’s Capture, and others. At the same time, most of medieval Russian writing did not reach contemporaries, being burned in the fires of the Mongol invasion.
Culture of Kievan Rus: briefly on architecture
Until the 10th century, among the Eastern Slavs, architecture was largely represented by wooden structures. It was only during the reign of Vladimir that a close acquaintance with the Orthodox Byzantium took place, and as a result, Russian masters adopted Greek traditions in architecture. The first monumental stone structures appear in Russia. Of course, these were originally monasteries and churches, which in many respects inherited the features of Greek prototypes.
Culture of Kievan Rus: A Brief on Fine Art
Among other things, Orthodoxy also stimulated the development of the artistic skills of local craftsmen. This was manifested primarily in frescoes and mosaics, which were generously strewn with the walls of temples. An important component of art was painting icons. It is interesting that the influence of the Byzantine canons on icon painting was traced in the further culture of the Russian lands for an even longer period than in architecture.
Culture of Kievan Rus: a brief about music
Musical culture was closely associated with local folklore. The latter was expressed mainly through cult songs, poetry, epics and so on. By the way, in this area the influence of Orthodoxy and Byzantine culture was significantly less. Epics and tales rooted in the pagan past of the Slavs.